The power supply is one of the key components of a modern computer. Without this component, absolutely no "machine" will be able to start. Moreover, the quality and convenience of working with a PC largely depends on this component. If you want to correctly select a power supply unit and not be mistaken, then our detailed article will help you with this.
In which we will talk about how to choose the right power supply for your computer and what parameters you need to pay attention to first. Additionally, the auxiliary capabilities of the PSU will be evaluated, among which we will select really useful and important functions for the modern user.
Content
PC power supply selection criteria
To answer the question of which power supply is the best to choose, it is necessary to consider several important characteristics. First of all, you need to decide on the optimal power. Then the type of device is selected and other parameters are taken into account, such as the type and efficiency of the cooling system, form factor, additional power supply, auxiliary functions, as well as the BP manufacturer.
Power
If you do not know what power supply unit is better to buy for your computer, then various calculators that are offered on the network will help you. Many of them are available directly on the websites of PSU and motherboard manufacturers like MSI or be quiet! If the unit you have chosen cannot provide sufficient power for the components, then the computer will not work or will constantly display errors.
The latter include various artifacts in the form of multi-colored squares when starting computer games. This is due to the fact that a certain area of memory instantly remains without power at the right time, so the system cannot receive data from it. Therefore, it is important to calculate the power of the power supply before purchasing it. On average, you can rely on the following figures:
- For GTX 1080/1080 Ti - 600/750 W
- For GTX 1070 - 500W
- For GTX 1060 - 400W
- For 1050/1050 Ti - 300/350 W
All other hardware can be completely arbitrary, including the most powerful processors from Intel or AMD. It makes sense to buy more powerful power supplies for 1 kW and more only with a margin for the future or when assembling systems with two (SLI / CrossFire) and a large number (CrossFire) video cards.
Types of power supplies
By type, PSUs are divided into modular and standard. In the first version, the design provides for the possibility of disconnecting the cables. Standard power supplies are equipped with wires soldered directly on the board and brought out. As for modularity, it can be complete (all cables are completely disconnected) or partial (power to the CPU and motherboard is not disconnected).
If you are looking for an inexpensive computer power supply, then the standard models should be chosen. For budget and office assemblies, such solutions are perfect. On an unlimited budget, consider modular options. They make it much easier to assemble PCs and organize cables inside the case (especially when it comes to compact gaming and multimedia systems).
Coefficient of performance (COP)
To buy a good power supply, you need to pay attention to its efficiency. This indicator denotes the ratio of useful work to the energy spent on this work. Simply put, we are talking about the power that the PSU must receive from the outlet in order to give the PC the amount of electricity it needs. This indicator is measured in percentage and in the cheapest power supplies the efficiency can be only 60-70%.
Even if the efficiency in the PSU is only 50%, it will still be able to deliver the declared power to the computer. This means that a 500W PSU is capable of supplying those 500W of accessories. But due to the low efficiency, it will take much more from the outlet:
500 / 0.5 = 1 kW
Low efficiency has many disadvantages. Among them, the most obvious is the increase in the amount on the electricity bill. But, besides this, due to high losses, the power supplies begin to heat up more, increasing the overall temperature inside the case, and also make more noise, because with high temperature sensors, the fans begin to rotate faster. To combat this problem, a special certification has been created, which is called 80 Plus.
80 Plus Certificate
All popular manufacturers of power supplies want to get 80 Plus certification, for which they create high efficiency computer power supplies. Depending on the value of the latter, the device can be assigned one of the certification classes:
- Bronze
- Silver
- Gold
- Platinum
- Titanium
80 Plus Bronze certified devices have 81% efficiency at maximum load and 91% efficiency for 80 Plus Titanium. At the same time, Titanium also puts forward requirements for energy efficiency at a load of 10%, when for other certificates the efficiency from 80% and higher should be only when the power supply is operating at 20%, 50% and 100% of power.
Power supply connectors and cables
Most computer motherboards are powered by 24-pin contacts, so this is necessarily present on the PSU. The characteristics of the motherboard may differ and, depending on their format, a 20-pin connector is often installed on the board. In this case, the power supplies have the ability to simply disconnect the 4 "extra" contacts. Together with the power supply of the motherboard from the power supply unit, a 4-pin contact must be connected to power the processor. Some boards also have an 8-pin connector, where the CPU power is connected. However, cheap power supplies do not always have such a contact. In this case, you can use one 4-pin, which is enough for a PC.
The power supply must have power connectors for drives, as well as HDD and SSD. Drives require a SATA cable to function, and Molex connects to CD and DVD readers. It is also used with older ATA hard drives. The last contact in this group is the connector for the floppy drive, but it is absent in modern power supplies.
The contacts described above are found in absolutely any block, even a standard one, even a modular type. But PCI Express Power Connector is not present on every power supply unit. Even if you buy a 600 W power supply for a computer with a powerful video card, the connectors you need on it are not always found. So for the most modern video cards (GTX 1080 Ti), an additional pair of 8-pin contacts may be required. For simpler models (GTX 1070), one such connector is enough, while cards in the middle price segment have a 6-pin connector for additional power.
So when buying, be sure to check whether you need an additional PCI Express Power Connector or not, because this may affect its final cost.
Cooling system
Such devices are cooled by the fans built into their case. At the same time, under the minimum load, modern blocks in a computer can work even without turning on active cooling. As for the temperature indicators and noise level, they completely depend on the parts selected by the manufacturer.In modern power supplies, according to user reviews, very quiet "turntables" are used, and the design itself allows them to be used only under high load (for example, in modern games).
When choosing a power supply, be sure to pay attention to the size of the cooler, the minimum that will provide stable cooling should be within 120x120 mm. In this case, the fact that the more the better plays an important role.
External connectors
Most modern power supplies are equipped with only a power input. Older models may also have a connector for connecting the monitor's power cord. Advanced solutions can sometimes be equipped with rear USB hub inputs or other ports. However, they are not very common due to their uselessness.
Form factor
Form factors of power supplies are also an important nuance. Mainly presented on the market ATX models that are great for Full, Midi and Micro Tower cases. The second place in popularity is occupied by BP format EPS... This solution differs slightly from ATX: the use of an 8-pin 12V connector instead of a pair of 4-pin ones, as well as a greater depth (180 or 230 versus 140 mm). There are also form factors BTX, TFX and SFX... The last two varieties are great for compact assemblies based on Mini-ITX boards.
Useful functions
One of the most important functions in power supplies is PFC or Power Factor Correcting. From English, these three words can be translated as "power factor correction". PFC is active and passive:
- Active: use of an additional microcircuit (additional impulse power supply). This allows the voltage to be stabilized and the power factor as close as possible to the nominal value. Used in blocks of premium brands.
- Passive: Conventional choke that removes voltage ripple. The price and efficiency of this option is much lower, so they are most often installed in the budget segment model.
A very useful function, especially in rural areas and regions where thunderstorms are frequent, is the short circuit protection function. This mechanism helps protect computer components from burnout due to improper power supply. The same task is assigned to the circuit that protects the unit from overvoltage. However, in this case, the negative impact of a sharp increase in voltage in the mains is prevented. For the same purpose, users often buy uninterruptible power supplies.
Which company computer power supply to buy
The workmanship, noise level, energy efficiency, durability and many other parameters of the power supply depend largely on the manufacturer. Well-known brands make better quality power supplies, which is ensured by years of experience, proprietary technologies and the desire to meet the needs of the buyer, which will increase profits. Less well-known brands should be looked at closely. There are many excellent budget computer power supplies on the market today, but there are also a lot of solutions of mediocre quality, characterized by high noise levels and poor build quality. If you do not want to exchange for mediocre products, then you should look closely to the following manufacturers:
- Corsair
- Chieftec
- be quiet
- Deepcool
- Aerocool
Conclusion
The choice of power supply unit must be approached very seriously. First of all, you need to decide on the optimal power, because if there is a lack of it, the computer can spontaneously reboot, turn off and even not start at all. You also need to pay attention to the quality of the selected model, because power problems can affect the performance of other PC components. To choose a good power supply for your computer, just follow the recommendations above. At the same time, it is important not to save on this component, preferring protected models.
